I once wrote about my sexual awakening, of sorts, in the chairs of a “unisex” hair salon in Northeast Philadelphia. Back then, while the bearded, swishy, hard-partying guy who cut my hair shared nods-and-winks–laden stories with the bearded, swishy, hard-partying guy cutting a woman’s hair in the next chair, I was surrounded by ’70s Hair Salon Artwork: models with cascading Farrah Fawcett-Majors locks and shirts unbuttoned almost far enough to catch a peak of nipple. It was a glorious time to be a horny teenage boy.
By the ’80s, Hair Salon Artwork changed. There were less soft, inviting photographs and more stark, harsh, often cartoonish images used to show off the era’s hairstyles. Think of the photography of Helmut Newton. Or that damn cartoonish model smiling at no one in particular from the Rio album cover. There was no invitation to join these women, to be their soulmates in flowing locks and tight-yet-loosely buttoned clothing. The models of ’80s Hair Salon Artwork challenged horny young males to enjoy them at the boys’ own risk, from an exclusively voyeuristic perspective. Not that I didn’t take on that challenge now and then, but it left me with a sense of guilt and shame that no warm Farrah-styled ’70s image ever left me. For shame, Rio album cover and ’80s Hair Salon Artwork!
So my efforts to walk through the ’80s with a perpetual (and optimistic) hard-on were thwarted.
The Rio album cover signified the end of the warm, inviting album cover art I’d cum of age to as a yon’ teen. Even soft, inviting, non-threatening Olivia Newton-John got physical. I could at least imaging taking to the former. The latter, tuned up for a possible post-entertainment industry career as a pharmaceutical sales rep, made it clear I should keep my distance.
And get off of Mr. Mod’s lawn too — you dang kids!!!
I have to admit that I have soft spot for Duran Duran. Great memories of some girls I knew who would put on “Girls on Film” and attack me singing “Girls on Phil.” My first name is Phil.
The hard-edged portrayal of female sexuality (as opposed to the soft and inviting images you preferred) goes back to the Roxy Music album covers in the 70s, no?
Certainly. I actually looked up to see whether the “best” Roxy album cover, Country Life, was shot by Helmut Newton. It’s verging on that style.
(It was not shot by him.)
The guy who did “Rio” was Pat Nagel, who was also doing “The Playboy Advisor” illustrations at the time. He’s the Mistral of illustrators. So very 80’s.
Oh man, that’s perfect.
Geez, where to begin. You kind of lost me when you started talking about 90’s guys like Marilyn Manson in an 80’s thread.
I might be echoing a point made by LMK in the 80’s music thread, but I think you’re boiling down a specific point from a vast decade of music and fashion. I tend to view the 80’s as one big progression and not a stagnant rut of synths and pouffy hair-dos. What I recall was that the 80’s started with the new beats of post punk and new wave. Some bands rode the keyboard wave as if that was the instrument of the future. Those bands represent a lot of what sucked about the time. Plus, all those bands died out by the end of the decade.
Other bands abandoned the MTV sound and pursued their own sound. We’re talking American underground or college. Though not as popular, these bands sold A LOT of records to a teenagers looking for an alternative to the top 40 charts. Most of these bands survived the 80’s and some would achieve success in the early 90’s as part of the alternative movement.
I was 12-13 years old when I first heard Duran Duran and Rio. I liked it at that time. I also liked the Clash, Devo and Blondie. I still listen to The Clash, Devo, and Blondie but not so much Duran Duran. It’s so inoffensive, that it’s not worth getting so worked up about it. It’s OK if you didn’t get it. You may never. What about Planet Earth? It’s still so damn catchy.
BUT, getting back to the point, here is some 80’s RIO era album art you might enjoy..
Samantha Fox
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000004UB.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
Kim Wilde
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/43/Kim_Wilde_album_cover.jpg
are you familiar with the works of Lee Aaron
http://www.vinylrecords.ch/L/LE/Lee-Aaron/metal-queen-virgin/lee-aaron-metal-queen-2888.jpg
That’s why I’m surprised at your association given our comparative ages! I think you were supposed to think “Playboy!” and not “hair salon!” when you saw that cover. (Which is dreadful, don’t get me wrong.)
What I think we learned here is that Mr. Mod’s dad (not to be confused with The Modfather) was more of a Penthouse guy.
Rio for me–at the time–signified The End of any hope that anything cool from New Wave would triumph in the mainstream, top 40 world. It was stupid of me ever to have thought otherwise, I know. I was younger then and was not yet fully aware that it is not the cream that rises to the top but, rather, something else. Anyway, fair or not, I blame Duran Duran for a lot, and that’s without even discussing Power Station. I curse them, bell, book, and candle.
That’s funny. I don’t know what my dad, who left us for good as I entered my awareness of all these things, was into, but I suspect it was something I’m glad I don’t know about:)
I was not familiar with the works of Lee Aaron. Only a small part of me is curious to hear that record!